Apparatus for treating fiber masses



O` QVILLER APPARATUS FOR TREATING FIBER MASSES Filed June l0, 1963 v! 3 mf ,M M 6 m m V 7 /w/ ff., 0@ @2F H E@ a., 9 4 n o H L Il H J y .v, l WH.. l 1 m 15+ L l 4 .L w m F W Q .IFP Il l. u l r1 WHHl/% llli H W Q Aug. 30, 1966 United States Patent O 3 269 303 APPARATUS Foa rRnrrNG rissa Masses Olaf Qviller, Kirkeveien 65, Oslo, Norway Filed June 10, 1963, Ser. No. 286,858 Claims priority, application Norway, May 31, 1958,

23S s ciaims. (ci. o- 121) This invention relates to a device for pressing out liquid from a celluose fiber suspension and this application is a continuation-impart of my co-pending application Serial No. 814,050, filed May 18, 1959, now abandoned, for Drum Press or Machine for Pressing Liquid From Cellulose and Other Fiber Masses.

Devices which are used in pressing out liquids from cellulose and other ber masses have certain drawbacks. Thus, rotating filters are used in connection with thin and easy-flowing suspensions. Such filters, however, can not easily be built suciently strong that they can withstand the high loads which may be used to obtain the desired pressing-out. For this reason, screw presses are used after the filters, and the last part of the pressing-out under high pressure then takes place in such machines. By means of screw presses it is possible to obtain the desired content of dried substance, but in some cases the mechanical treatment of the fiber mass fed to the screw presses may be detrimental to the fibers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for treating fiber masses which avoids such drawbacks and disadvantages of prior constructions.

In the construction according to the present invention it is possible to treat relatively easy-flowing masses as well as thick masses, and such masses will be subjected to a very lenient treatment, and mechanical treatment can be avoided, -because the fibers are not put into motion relatively to the straining plates, but follow the same during the pressing operation.

The construction of the present invention consists of four or six operating straining drums, the six drums being advantageously utilized in larger presses, with a perforated peripheral surface, suitably in the form of netting. Thus, the drums define cylindrical surfaces consisting of straining netting. The drums are arranged in a battery in such manner that the middle of the battery defines a space or chamber into which the fiber mass or stock may be passed. The side surfaces of this chamber are formed by portions of the cylindrical surfaces of the respective drums, and the end surfaces consist of two stationary plates which are tightened against the drums and their nettings.

The mass is fed to said space under pressure through one of the two tightening plates. This arrangement results in the provision of two pressing places diametrically opposing each other. The mass which is deposited upon the straining nettings or screens is passed continuously out through the pressing places. Two of the drums may be journaled stationarily and two drums can be journaled yieldingly. The last-mentioned ones are then pressed against the stationarily journaled ones by means of hydraulic press cylinders.

The hydraulic press system is formed in such manner that the bearing pressure is varied automatically according to the mass pressure in the central space and the shaft of thel movable drum tends to adjust itself in parallel relationship with the shaft of the stationarily-journaled drum. The driving device may be formed in such Imanner that the driving .shafts of the several drums are driven by gear wheels with approximately the same pitch circle diameter as the diameter of the drums, and the gear wheel for one drum is in engagement with the gear Wheels for the two side drums.

i 3,2%,393 Patented August 30, 1966 ICC In the drawing,

l FIG. l is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding side elevation; and

FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically, in plan View, an embodiment with six rolls.

Drum 1 rotates counter-clockwise on vertical shafts journalled in stationary bearings 11. Drum 2 rotates clockwise on vertical shafts journalled in sidewise adjustable bearings 12. Drum 3 rotates clockwise on shafts journalled in sidewise adjustable bearings 13, and drum 4 rotates counterclockwise on shafts journalled in stationary bearings 14. The side-wise adjustable bearings 12 and 13 make it possible to regulate the pressure between adjacent drums between which the pulp mat issues so that there can be provided a predetermined dryness in the mat.

An example of an adjustable arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. l and 2 by hydraulic cylinder 43, piston rod 44 and slidable bearing 45.

Between the four drums there is a chamber designated 5 in FIG. 1. This chamber is closed on its upper side by a tightening or sealing plate d and on its lower side by a similar plate 7. The weight of the drums may be taken up by a hydraulic cylinder 10, the piston rod of which exercises an upward pressure on the plate 7.

The drums are each provided on their periphery with a filtering netting or screen as indicated at 24 in FIG. 2. The mass to be dewatered is pumped into chamber 5 through pipe 8 arranged on the tightening plate 6, and during the rotation of the drums water is squeezed out from the mass, and a mat passes out at 25 between drums 1 and 2 and also at 26 between drums 3 and 4. The mass is supplied at adjustable pressures as desired by means of a pump or like known means (not shown).

The Water squeezed out passes through the nettings 24 into the interior of all of the drums and may, as shown in dotted lines 27 in FIG. 2, be removed through a bore in each of the lower trunnions. This lwater is collected in a vat 28, upon the bottom of which rests a drum-carrying frame 29, which in turn carries the drum-driving device 9. The driving motor 30 drives a pinion 31 in gear with one of four intermeshing cog wheels 32, 33 and 34, 35 for shafts 36 coupled to the drums 1 and 3, and shafts 37 coupled to the drums 2 and 4. In each of the shafts 36, 37 are interposed movable couplings 38 and 39.

According to the preferred embodiment (FIGS. 1, 2) with four drums, the drum axes are arranged at the corners of a regular quadrangle. According to FIG. 3, there are six drums arranged at the corners of `a hexagon, wherein mats pass out at three places 40, 41, 42 disposed at an angular distance of from each other. Instead of having the plates 6, 7 tightened against the drums, they may be arranged at a small -distance from the end faces of the drums, e.g. about 1 mm.

A substantial portion of the frictional resistance between the end faces of the drums and the tightening plates is thereby avoided, and the thick mass which is passed into the central space, then itself represents the necessary tightening material.

Further embodiments may be employed wherein, for instance, all four cylinders are movably journalled, or all four cylinders may be arranged with stationary journals. In the last-mentioned case, the cylinders must be mounted with a suitable slit opening at the places 25, 26 where the pressed mass passes out, and simultaneously the degree of pressing may be regulated by varying the number of revolutions of the drums, for instance by varying the Velocity of the motor 30.

The necessary parallelism of drums 1, 2 and of drums 3, 4, respectively, may be obtained by any known means, e.g. by hydraulically acting upon the members 43, 44,

45, for drum 3 and similarly upon the corresponding members for drum 2.

I claim:

1. Separation apparatus for separation of fibrous material from a liquid with which the fibrous material is mixed without subjecting the fibers of said material to a grinding or crushing action regardless of the density of said fibrous material in a mixture thereof with said liquid comprising, a plurality of vertically disposed cylindrical drums having straining walls, said drums being relatively disposed with the walls thereof defining a chamber substantially enclosed circumferentially by said straining walls, means closing opposite lower and upper ends of said chamber, means to deliver a mixture of said fibrous material and said liquid into said chamber for separation of said fibrous material from said liquid, means for selectively rotating said drums in selected directions with next adjacent drums rotating in opposite directions, means for removing from the interior of said drums liquid removed from the mixture of liquid and fibrous material in said chamber, and at least two of said drums being disposed defining a longitudinally extending space in communication with said chamber for delivery of fibrous material from said chamber as a mat of bers automatically during rotation of said drums.

2. Separation apparatus for separation of fibrous material from a liquid with which the fibrous material is mixed without subjecting the fibers of said material to a grinding or crushing action regardless of the density of said fibrous material in a mixture thereof with said liquid comprising, a plurality of vertically disposed cylindrical 'drums having strained walls, said drums being relatively disposed with the walls thereof defining a chamber substantially enclosed circumferentially by said straining walls, means closing opposite lower and upper ends of said chamber, means to deliver a mixture of said fibrous material and said liquid under pressure into said chamber for separation of said fibrous material from said liquid, means for selectively rotating said drums in selected directions with next adjacent drums rotating in opposite directions, means for removing from the interior of said drums liquid removed from the mixture of liquid and fibrous material in said chamber, at least two of said drums being disposed defining a longitudinally extending space in communication with said chamber for delivery of fibrous material from said chamber as a mat of fibers automatically during rotation of said drums, and means for variably spacing the longitudinal axes of said drums thereby to vary the width of said space and for variably regulating the pressure applied to said fibrous material in said chamber to variably determine the dryness of said mat.

3. Separation apparatus for separation of fibrous material from a liquid with which the fibrous material is mixed without subjecting the fibers of said material to a grinding or crushing action regardless of the density of said fibrous material in a mixture thereof with said liquid comprising, a plurality of vertically disposed cylindrical drums having straining walls, said drums being relatively disposed with the walls thereof defining a chamber substantially enclosed circumferentially by said straining walls, means closing opposite lower and upper ends of said chamber, means to deliver a mixture of said fibrous material and said liquid into said chamber for separation of said fibrous material from said liquid, means for selectively rotating said drums in selected directions with next adjacent drums 'rotating in opposite directions, means for removing from the interior :of said drums liquid removed from the mixture of liquid and fibrous material in said chamber, at least two of said drums being disposed defining a longitudinally extending space in communication with said chamber for delivery of fibrous materialfrom said chamber as a mat 0f fibers automatically during rotation of said drums, means for variably spacing the longitudinal axes of said drums thereby to at least vary the width of said space to variably determine the dryness of said mat.

4. Separation apparatus for separation of fibrous material from a liquid with which the fibrous material is mixed without subjecting the fibers of said material to a grinding or crushing action regardless of the vdensi-ty of said fibrous material in a mixture thereof with said liquid comprising, a plurality of disposed cylindrical drums having straining walls and vertically extending axes dispose-d in section in a configuration of a figure in which the axes are at apices of said figure, said drums being relatively disposed with the walls thereof defining a chamber substantially enclosed circumferentially by said straining walls, means closing opposite lower and upper ends of said chamber, means to deliver a mix-ture of said fibrous material and said liquid into said chamber for separation of said fibrous material from said liquid, means for selectively rotating said drums in selected directions with next adjacent drums rotating in opposite directions, means for removing from the interior of said drums liquid removed from the mixture of liquid and fibrous material in said chamber, at least two of said drums being disposed defining a longitudinally extending space therebetween in communication with said chamber for delivery of fibrous material from said chamber as a mat of fibers automatically during rotation of said drums, means for variably spacing the longitudinal axes of said drums thereby to vary the dimensions of said chamber for variably regulating the pressure applied to said fibrous material in said chamber to variably determine the dryness of said mat.

5. Separation apparatus for separation of fibrous material from a liquid with which the fibrous material is mixed without subjecting the fibers of said material to a grinding or crushing action regardless of the density of said fibrous material in a mixture thereof with said liquid comprising, a plurality of vertically disposed cylin-drical drums having straining walls, said drums being relatively disposed with the walls thereof defining a chamber substantially enclosed circumferentially by said straining walls, means closing opposite lower and upper ends of said chamber, means to deliver a mixture of said fibrous material and said liquid into said chamber for separation of said fibrous material from said liquid, means for selectively rotating said drurns in selected directions with adjacent drums rotating in opposite directions, means for removing from the interior of said drums liquid removed from the mixture of liquid and fibrous material in said chamber, at least two of said drums being disposed defining a longitudinally extending space therebetween in communication with said chamber for delivery of fibrous material from said chamber as a mat of fibers automatically during rotation of said drums, means for variably spacing the longitudinal axes of said drums thereby to vary the dimensions of said chamber for variably regulating the pressure applied to said fibrous material in said chamber to variably determine the dryness of said mat.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 451,464 5/1891 Dickson. 2,308,031 1/ 1943 Schmitz 100--121 2,344,274 3/ 1944 Stacom 100-47 FOREIGN PATENTS 295,171 1l/1916 Germany.

LOUIS O. MAASSEL, Primary Examiner.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Examiner. 

1. SEPARATION APPARATUS FOR SEPARATION OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM A LIQUID WITH WHICH THE FIBROUS MATERIAL IS MIXED WITHOUT SUBJECTING THE FIBERS OF SAID MATERIAL TO A GRINDING OR CRUSHING ACTION REGARDLESS OF THE DENSITY OF SAID FIBROUS MATERIAL IN A MIXTURE THEREOF WITH SAID LIQUID COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED CYLINDRICAL DRUMS HAVING STRAINING WALLS, SAID DRUMS BEING RELATIVELY DISPOSED WITH THE WALLS THEREOF DEFINING A CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY BY SAID STRAINING WALLS, MEANS CLOSING OPPOSITE LOWER AND UPPER ENDS OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO DELIVER A MIXTURE OF SAID FIBROUS MATERIAL AND SAID LIQUID INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR SEPARATION OF SAID FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM SAID LIQUID, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ROTATING SAID DRUMS IN SELECTED DIRECTIONS WITH NEXT ADJACENT DRUMS ROTATING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, MEANS FOR REMOVING FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID DRUMS LIQUID REMOVED FROM THE MIXTURE OF LIQUID AND FIBROUS MATERIAL IN SAID CHAMBER, AND AT LEAST TWO OF SAID DRUMS BEING DISPOSED DEFINING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SPACE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER FOR DELIVERY OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM SAID CHAMBER AS A MAT OF FIBERS AUTOMATICALLY DURING ROTATION OF SAID DRUMS. 